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Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)

銀閣寺

👀 SEE

Also known as Silver Pavilion

Despite the name, no silver. Originally the retirement villa of a 15th-century art-obsessed shogun who made it the nerve center of Higashiyama culture — tea ceremony, ikebana, noh, and garden design all trace through here. The raked sand cone and the moss garden are the iconic views.

Type temple, zen, garden, iconic landmark
💡 Local tip
  • Terminus of the Philosopher's Path — build the walk so you arrive here in the afternoon.
templezengardeniconic_landmark
2 Ginkakujichō, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8402, Japan Directions ↗